The Muslim Waqf reported that more than 400 Jews marked the date of Av 30, which fell on Sunday morning, by ascending the Temple Mount ahead of the month of Elul – the month of penitential prayers. According to the report, 314 entered during the morning hours and another 105 at noon. Alongside this, the traditional monthly “Gates Tour” was held on the eve of the new month. This time, however, the event stirred unusually strong Palestinian anger, as for the first time since the ritual began, it included the appearance of a “Levite Choir
Levite Choir joins the Gates Tour
Those who ascended the Temple Mount sang and danced, some chanting penitential hymns. Traditionally, Sephardic communities begin the Selichot prayers on the first night of Elul, while Ashkenazi communities begin only in the week before Rosh Hashanah
This Gates Tour is expected to be exceptional. For the first time in nearly 25 years since the custom began, a Levite Choir was scheduled to take part. Flyers circulated on social media announced that the choir would recreate the songs once performed in the ancient Temple
Special ceremony on the Temple Mount
Right-wing activist Neria Ofen, one of the founders of the Gates Tour, explained: “This tour will include a special event happening for the first time. The Temple Institute contacted us about the Levite Choir they have trained. They suggested joining forces with the tour, and with God’s help it will happen. At the usual stop near the Lions’ Gate, during the evening prayer, there will also be a public singing of Temple hymns together with the choir
Palestinian backlash and Hamas response
The Gates Tour in its regular format already angers Palestinians every month. Shops are forced to close, movement toward Al-Aqsa Mosque is disrupted, and Palestinian passersby often face insults or spitting. The addition of the Levite Choir was seen as crossing a new line. Hamas issued a condemnation, and calls spread on Palestinian social networks urging people to come to Al-Aqsa Mosque to defend it from what was described as an unprecedented “invasion
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Across Palestinian social media, the ceremony was portrayed as a breach of the Temple Mount status quo and the addition of another Jewish ritual. Posts described the tour beginning at Al-Buraq Square (the Western Wall) with the participation of a “musical choir wearing special costumes resembling Temple priests.” They added that the event would feature a religious musical performance at 8 p.m. at Al-Ghazali Square, facing the Lions’ Gate, one of Al-Aqsa’s most prominent entrances
